Report: Microsoft may boot Gates as chairman, replace Ballmer with Nadella as CEO

Tim Greene |
Feb. 3, 2014

Microsoft founder Bill Gates may be out as chairman as part of the move to replace CEO Steve Ballmer, Bloomberg is reporting

Microsoft founder Bill Gates may be out as chairman as part of the move to replace CEO Steve Ballmer, Bloomberg is reporting

The likely replacement for Ballmer, the news service says, is the company's cloud and server chief Satya Nadella, who has worked at Microsoft since 1992.

The story is sourced to "people briefed on the process" who said that while a decision is coming soon, the "plans aren't finished."

The sources say John Thompson, the board member running the search for Ballmer's replacement, could take over as chairman, according to Bloomberg.

Nadella is one of several Microsoft insiders rumored to be in the running for the CEO slot. Among the others former Skype CEO Tony Bates and boomerang exec Stephen Elop, who left Microsoft to run Nokia and who is coming back when Microsoft's bid to buy the company goes through.